Does extreme cold count as a snow day in Missouri?

Yes, by statute. RSMo 171.033 defines inclement weather as ice, snow, extreme cold, excessive heat, flooding or a tornado, so a cold-day closure uses the same make-up and AMI rules as a snow day. The Kansas City area closures of 26 January 2026 were driven by record wind chills after a weekend snow.

How many hours of snow days does a Missouri district have to make up?

The first 36 hours in full, then half of the next hours up to 48, with a hard cap of 60 make-up hours a year. Every calendar already carries 36 make-up hours for this. AMI hours, up to 36, can stand in for lost time if the district's plan is approved.

What is an AMI day in Missouri?

Alternative Methods of Instruction: a remote day, online or with take-home packets, that counts instead of making up the time later. The plan has to be approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and a district may use no more than 36 hours of AMI in a school year.

Do St. Louis and Kansas City close on 3 inches?

Usually, especially if the snow is still falling at bus time or ice is in the mix. Both airports average only 1.4 days a year with 3 inches or more, so it is a notable storm there. The meter's 3-inch threshold is where the chance climbs; a Winter Storm Warning or freezing rain hours push it further.

Snow day calculator Missouri

Chance of a snow day

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Best time to check

The evening before, after 9 pm: The evening model runs are in by then and the forecast here refreshes every 30 minutes. A number read at 6 pm can move by several inches of snow before midnight.
The morning of, 5 to 7 am: The strip above shades 4 to 7 am. Snow still falling in those hours lands on the commute, so the model counts it extra, and most districts have decided by the time the buses roll at 7.

When districts actually decide

Portland Public Schools, Oregon publishes its closure decision no later than 5 am (read 10 Oct 2026)
Omaha Public Schools announced the 23 January 2026 cold closure at 5:50 pm the evening before (read 10 Oct 2026)
Little Rock School District announced a two-day closure the afternoon before the 9 January 2025 storm (read 10 Oct 2026)
Minnesota e-learning days must be announced at least two hours before the normal start time, by statute (read 10 Oct 2026)

Every district sets its own cut-off; these are published examples, not a rule.

Missouri schools usually close around 3 inches of overnight snow. Three to four inches, or ice, closes St. Louis and Kansas City districts. The meter below opens on Kansas City; type your ZIP or town and it reads tonight's hourly forecast for your exact spot and scores it against the Missouri threshold.

How much snow it takes in Missouri

Missouri's two big metros each see a 3-inch snow about once or twice a winter, and both tend to close for it. St. Louis Lambert averages 16.6 inches a season and 1.4 days with 3 inches or more; Kansas City averages 18.2 inches and the same 1.4 days; Columbia and Springfield sit a little lower. January is the snowiest month in St. Louis and February in Kansas City. The model's threshold is 3 inches overnight, with ice and extreme cold as the other triggers.

Missouri's own law lists what counts as inclement weather, and the list is wider than snow: ice, snow, extreme cold, excessive heat, flooding or a tornado (RSMo 171.033). The closures of 26 January 2026 came from the cold end of that list. After weekend snow and record wind chills, Kansas City Public Schools, North Kansas City, Park Hill, Blue Springs and Lee's Summit all moved to virtual learning rather than open buildings.

On the state's side, MoDOT's St. Louis region alone fields more than 200 plow trucks over 6,400 lane miles with over 30,000 tons of salt on hand, clearing interstates first.

Missouri winter by the numbers

Station	Snow per season	Days with 1″+	Days with 3″+	Snowiest month
St. Louis	16.6″	5.1	1.4	Jan
Kansas City	18.2″	5.8	1.4	Feb
Springfield	13.7″	3.6	1.2	Jan
Columbia	16.5″	4.8	1.5	Jan

1991-2020 climate normals for the airport or first-order station in each city, read 2026-10-10 from the NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. “Days with 3″+” is the average number of calendar days a year with at least 3 inches of new snow.

How closures are decided in Missouri

Missouri counts hours. A district must provide at least 1,044 hours of actual pupil attendance (RSMo 171.031), and its calendar must include 36 make-up hours for possible loss to inclement weather, with no minimum number of make-up days. Only districts in charter-form counties or cities over 30,000 people also face a 169-day minimum. When weather does close school, the first 36 lost hours must be made up, then half of any further hours up to 48, with total required make-up capped at 60 hours (RSMo 171.033).

The remote option is Alternative Methods of Instruction, AMI. Since 2020-21 a district with a plan approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education may count up to 36 hours a year of AMI, delivered online or on paper, in place of lost time; the department may not approve a plan that would hurt teaching and learning. Each of Missouri's 518 regular districts sets its own calendar and makes its own closure call.

Minimum school year: 1,044 hours of attendance (RSMo 171.031)
Built-in make-up: 36 weather make-up hours in every calendar; total make-up capped at 60 hours
Remote snow days: AMI, up to 36 hours a year with a state-approved plan, since 2020-21
Regular districts: 518 (NCES, 2021-22)

Questions people ask

Does extreme cold count as a snow day in Missouri?: Yes, by statute. RSMo 171.033 defines inclement weather as ice, snow, extreme cold, excessive heat, flooding or a tornado, so a cold-day closure uses the same make-up and AMI rules as a snow day. The Kansas City area closures of 26 January 2026 were driven by record wind chills after a weekend snow.
How many hours of snow days does a Missouri district have to make up?: The first 36 hours in full, then half of the next hours up to 48, with a hard cap of 60 make-up hours a year. Every calendar already carries 36 make-up hours for this. AMI hours, up to 36, can stand in for lost time if the district's plan is approved.
What is an AMI day in Missouri?: Alternative Methods of Instruction: a remote day, online or with take-home packets, that counts instead of making up the time later. The plan has to be approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and a district may use no more than 36 hours of AMI in a school year.
Do St. Louis and Kansas City close on 3 inches?: Usually, especially if the snow is still falling at bus time or ice is in the mix. Both airports average only 1.4 days a year with 3 inches or more, so it is a notable storm there. The meter's 3-inch threshold is where the chance climbs; a Winter Storm Warning or freezing rain hours push it further.

Sources

RSMo 171.031, minimum term of 1,044 hours and 36 make-up hours (read 2026-10-10)
RSMo 171.033, inclement weather, make-up hours and AMI (read 2026-10-10)
Missouri DESE, Alternative Methods of Instruction (read 2026-10-10)
KCTV5, Kansas City area closings for cold and snow, 25 Jan 2026 (read 2026-10-10)
MoDOT, winter operations in the St. Louis region (read 2026-10-10)
NCES Digest table 214.30, regular school districts by state, 2021-22 (read 2026-10-10)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and Columbia (read 2026-10-10)

The closure threshold itself is our model's estimate from typical district practice, not an official figure. Districts, not states, make the call. The model page shows every term.

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